Another American city bans headphones and texting while walking

Lots of people who walk are being killed these days by people who drive. These days also, more and more cities are bringing in laws that ban people who walk from using phones or wearing earphones while they cross the street. Last year we wrote about Honolulu; now it’s Montclair, California, which has passed an ordinance that reads: “No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while engaged in a phone call, viewing a mobile electronic device or with both ears covered or obstructed by personal audio equipment.”

If you’ve ever stopped at a red light and sighed at the sight of pedestrians crossing in front of you with their head down gazing at their phone, or wearing headphones that block all street sounds, this may represent the most popular thing the Montclair City Council has ever done.

David Allen doesn’t tell us if he is in his car with the windows rolled up and the stereo going, nor does he explain what the problem is, given that he is stopped at the red light and the people walking in front of him have the right of way. He may sigh, but they are not hurting anyone.

I have written about this so many times. I have noted that the real problem is that that this is an urban design issue, as our roads are designed to let cars drive fast, not to protect the pedestrians. It’s an automobile design issue, as more people drive deadly SUVs and pickup trucks. It’s a demographic issue, as older people are more likely to die if they are hit. The use of smart phones by pedestrians is a non-issue, a rounding error and an excuse for happy motoring.

Instead of addressing the root causes of pedestrian deaths, our institutions have criminalized the ordinary act of walking, exposing the most vulnerable members of society to the punitive effects of biased law enforcement.

Creating a social stigma around people who refused to cede the street to cars was a means for car companies to redirect blame back onto victims and strengthen motorists’ claim to the right-of-way.

I just put this last paragraph from my Honolulu post into my text shortcuts because I suspect I am going to repeating it a lot as these stupid laws get passed across the States:

TreeHugger totally agrees that one should not use a phone while crossing the street. We also suggest that you don’t get old, have a disability that might slow you down, don’t go out at night, don’t be poor and don’t live in the suburbs, all of which contribute to people who walk being killed by people who drive. This bylaw willfully ignores the real reasons pedestrians are getting killed, and instead is just more victim blaming.